Earth Day is upon us, and here at Stampington, we feel that this special day should be spent in celebration of this big, beautiful, planetary rock that we all share. Whether you’re planting a tree, going to an Earth Day event, or making an effort to be a more conscientious crafter, we invite you to join us as we explore ways in which some of our published artists have attempted to craft a greener world.

From mountaintops to ocean floors, vast open plains to thick lush jungles – the Earth fills our bellies and entices our souls by offering an endless wealth of inspiration. While the Earth does not have limitless resources, what it does give us is always multi-dimensional and holds a great capacity to be multi-purposed. We get joy from the process of creating; what’s more, upcycling challenges us artistically to repurpose discarded materials that are destined for the landfill, to breathe new life into them and transform them into beautiful and functional works of art.

Inspirational Words About Upcycling

“I have a passion for old and discarded items—linens, jewelry, buttons, clothing, and handbags just to name a few. I see the potential to upcycle or repurpose an item by breathing new life into it.” ~Diane Utley-Aguilar from Haute Handbags

“Put junk mail, packaging, and advertisements to good use by incorporating them into your journal page. Either use the text to simply add interest to your page, or choose words and phrases that complement the theme of your design.” ~Amber Demien fromArt Journaling

Project by Vicki Cotnoir

“When I saw the huge mound of unnoticed, unloved, and just plain abandoned paper, I did what any sane artist would have done: I inquired into the paper’s future. The company’s plan to recycle was certainly good enough for me, but I saw a better use.” ~Autumn Hathaway from Art Journaling

“Sue Elseth loves repurposing jewelry and trinkets. Not only do they bring new and meaningful life to her and others, but they also create the opportunity to teach new generations about the history behind those pieces.” ~Sue Elseth from Jewelry Affaire

Project by Ann Tatum

“What is the point of using recycled materials if you aren’t actually going to use what you make? Creating new from the old has always been a hobby of mine. It’s incredibly satisfying to take something someone else might consider old, worn out, or complete trash, and refashion it into something you are proud to wear.” ~Stephanie Snow from GreenCraft Magazine

“I adore being able to repurpose something that might have been discarded but can be reborn as something new through creative daydreaming.” ~Brenda Bamford from Jewelry Affaire

“By salvaging the interesting features of a shirt to turn into necklaces, I am preserving the essence of what I loved about the shirt to begin with…” ~Johanna Love from GreenCraft Magazine

Need more Earth Day inspiration?

In honor of Earth Day, we invite you to share your own upcycling projects or tell us what your plans are for tomorrow. If you happen to be running low on ideas, take a look inside our spring issue of GreenCraft Magazine, which is full of creative and truly unique projects.

I love recycling and upcycling!!! I make my art journalss, atc’s and art canvasses with just about everything. And for the garden i go to thrift stores and garage sales and pick up gently used dishes and tschotschkes to make garden totems and birdbaths! I have my own facebook page Amma’s Treasures on facebook. I was going to try to make ago of my own business. So far I have sold a few to family and friends. It’s a start I guess.

Those projects sound amazing, especially the birdbaths. What a great use for old dishes! As for starting your own business, have you had a chance to read Where Women Create Business? The magazine has a lot of great advice from women who have made their passions into thriving businesses.

Love, love, love this post! I love to recycle everything. My craziest was a piece of torn window screen I found. I made my husband stop to car to grab my find. My husband laughed, “Wow, this is what you love and all this time I have been struggling to find the perfect gift. Next time, I will drive around and gather some trash and you will be happy.”

Yes, it was funny, but I set him straight on what I considered special recycled treasure.

As the co-owner of an old home salvage business, we are very much into upcycling. Most of the wood we salvage is old growth pine, so in a way, I feel like we are saving those trees from a landfill or a burn pile.

I love to upcycle and repurpose! Corrugated cardboard provides great texture and interest to any paper project or journal page. I use packaging cardboard, as in cereal boxes, to create stencils, to add dimension to die cuts and punch-outs by gluing behind designer papers; in fact packaging provides some yummy and rich colors that are sturdy for multiple paper projects. I generally go through the day looking at everything with a revival outlook! I’m considered a bit laughable by my day-job boss, but she provides me with tons of recyclable materials in cast off copy paper, manila folders, grungy old paper clips and more. I truly believe those of us who get a buzz out of repurposing have a genetic disposition that needs to avoid wastefulness! I’m not kidding when I say I feel an obsession with it all.

Earth Day is upon us, and here at Stampington, we feel that this special day should be spent in celebration of this big, beautiful, planetary rock that we all share. Whether you’re planting a tree, going to an Earth Day event, or making an effort to be a more conscientious crafter, we invite you to join us as we explore ways in which some of our published artists have attempted to craft a greener world.

From mountaintops to ocean floors, vast open plains to thick lush jungles – the Earth fills our bellies and entices our souls by offering an endless wealth of inspiration. While the Earth does not have limitless resources, what it does give us is always multi-dimensional and holds a great capacity to be multi-purposed. We get joy from the process of creating; what’s more, upcycling challenges us artistically to repurpose discarded materials that are destined for the landfill, to breathe new life into them and transform them into beautiful and functional works of art.

Inspirational Words About Upcycling

“I have a passion for old and discarded items—linens, jewelry, buttons, clothing, and handbags just to name a few. I see the potential to upcycle or repurpose an item by breathing new life into it.” ~Diane Utley-Aguilar from Haute Handbags

“Put junk mail, packaging, and advertisements to good use by incorporating them into your journal page. Either use the text to simply add interest to your page, or choose words and phrases that complement the theme of your design.” ~Amber Demien fromArt Journaling

Project by Vicki Cotnoir

“When I saw the huge mound of unnoticed, unloved, and just plain abandoned paper, I did what any sane artist would have done: I inquired into the paper’s future. The company’s plan to recycle was certainly good enough for me, but I saw a better use.” ~Autumn Hathaway from Art Journaling

“Sue Elseth loves repurposing jewelry and trinkets. Not only do they bring new and meaningful life to her and others, but they also create the opportunity to teach new generations about the history behind those pieces.” ~Sue Elseth from Jewelry Affaire

Project by Ann Tatum

“What is the point of using recycled materials if you aren’t actually going to use what you make? Creating new from the old has always been a hobby of mine. It’s incredibly satisfying to take something someone else might consider old, worn out, or complete trash, and refashion it into something you are proud to wear.” ~Stephanie Snow from GreenCraft Magazine

“I adore being able to repurpose something that might have been discarded but can be reborn as something new through creative daydreaming.” ~Brenda Bamford from Jewelry Affaire

“By salvaging the interesting features of a shirt to turn into necklaces, I am preserving the essence of what I loved about the shirt to begin with…” ~Johanna Love from GreenCraft Magazine

Need more Earth Day inspiration?

In honor of Earth Day, we invite you to share your own upcycling projects or tell us what your plans are for tomorrow. If you happen to be running low on ideas, take a look inside our spring issue of GreenCraft Magazine, which is full of creative and truly unique projects.